European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 1, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Ginger Rogers not your Ordinary senior citizenry Dana Kennedy the associated press Gimme your the voice belongs to Ginger Rogers the Center of attention in an elegant suite the size of a Small ballroom in a Midtown Manhattan hotel. It could be a line from top hat or swing time. But its 1991, Fred Astaire is Long gone and Ginger Rogers is not asking anyone to dance. She a asking for help getting out of her wheelchair and into a More comfortable seat for an interview. After her Secretary and a publicist lift her up and gently Settle her Down Rogers smooths out her Platinum hair and asks for a Blanket around her legs. It looks to be the Start of a sad Story about a fading film legend. But its not. Rogers May be 80 years old but she a no Norma Desmond. She a not sitting around waiting for her close up or. Demille. A yes i do mind if you take pictures while i talk a Rogers says briskly to the photographer. A you always take them with my Mouth open. Wait until afterwards. In Man actress. I know How to pose so it looks and with that she a off. Holding her own. Her wheelchair necessary after a fall on a yacht a few years ago is soon forgotten. Rogers a devout Christian scientist eschews doctors and does not discuss her disability. She is apparently unable to walk More than a few Steps at a time but does not dwell on it. The occasion is publication of her autobiography Ginger a my Story a surprisingly literate readable Book for its genre. It was written Over the course of 11 years without a ghostwriter. Rogers writing Talent May come from her Mother Lela an Early screenwriter to whom the Book is dedicated. The Book traces Rogers life and career. It begins with a bizarre kidnapping by her father when she was just a year old and includes her Early Days in vaudeville her Academy award in 1940 for Kitty Foyle her memorable partnership with Astaire her five marriages and the stage appearances that began in 1925 and did not end until 1984. A it was wonderful a wonderful career a says Rogers. A i never wanted to do anything else. Dancing singing acting it All came naturally to me and i loved As she sits erect in her chair her hair perfectly coiffed heavy makeup in place Rogers radiates dignity and diplomacy. She is resolutely positive about her career which she remembers in minute detail. Rogers does no to fit any stereotype of a senior citizen. She a not the Sweet old lady nor is she the feisty Spunky grandma. With Rogers you feel Only the fierceness of someone determined not to Ginger Rogers let old age dominate. Press her for details about the Darker Side of Hollywood and you get a glimpse of the spine supporting the sunny surface. She wont name the Hollywood producer who pressured her for sex but she makes sure you know that she a made sure i got away from him. I never did Rogers Isnit shy either about making it Clear that she was not always the Best of friends with her co stars. A i always admired Joan Crawford a she says. A Kate Hepburn and i got along Fine but we were never close off she pauses for effect. A we saw things a Little even Astaire with whom Rogers says she was a extremely compatible a comes in for leveling. A i loved working with Fred a says Rogers who still remembers her first dance with Astaire at what is now tavern on the Green in Central Park. A the was As Good a dancer on the dance floor As he was onstage. He really knew How to Lead a girl around. Not that Many men can do a but done to think she owes her career to Astaire. A i made 10 movies with him and at the same time i was making a lot of others a she says. A a he a go take a rest and id go make another in 1933, for example Rogers made nine movies. Idle she was not. A when i was living in new York just starting out i used to be on the set at 6 . And id finish just in time to be driven to the theater for my curtain she is most Happy when recalling her career. She can remember what she ate before the opening of her first Broadway show top Speed in 1929, what she wore during a rehearsal of a movie in the 1930s, or what someone said to her in 1943. A i loved writing the Book a she says a because i got to relive she does not Rule out working again. A if something was right sure id love to do it a she says. A a it la probably come along when i least expect Rogers who divides her time Between Homes in Oregon and Southern California with her longtime Secretary is Only poignant when asked questions about her More recent past. She has trouble remembering Basic events in the last few years As if they Pale in comparison with her heyday. It bores her to concentrate on them. When asked where she lives in Rancho Mirage she looks frustrated and a Little impatient. She Calls out to her Secretary in the next room. A a what a the name of our Street in the desert baby i done to know Why its just not coming to it me. Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire danced their Way through 10 movies together. December 1 1991 sunday a Page 11
